Rachel Flotard’s recommendation: “There’s nothing like the urgency of the first Foo’s record. The ray gun basically shot me in the face, and I’ve always had a hut in my heart for it. Maybe it was because I was a recent Seattle transplant at the time, or that my inner-sterno was lit and my own songs were surfacing, but he/they just struck a chord with me. Always liked how scrappy-romantic and powerful it felt. Plus, any jovial brother that wallops the skins and cranks is good by me.”

About the guest author, Rachel Flotard: Rachel fronts Visqueen, the West Coast band that put out what we at Rocktorch.com consider the most perfect pop record of 2009, Message To Garcia. Rachel’s own words best describe record: “These songs are my friends. I wrote them through a long ride of self-conscious anguish and joy. They are braided with sunny, ubiquitous problems and snare drums. They reflect the part of me that wants to be happy and make out with Bad Company.”

Rachel, who was classified as “the human incarnation of the Energizer Bunny” by NPR, and the band are bringing their non-stop barrage of power pop and harmonies to a town near you, so check the tour page now and buy your tickets. (Rachel also seems to have a killer sense of humor. For those of you who caught the Springsteen reference in the photo to the left, you’re gonna love this pic.)